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Compressor station is a bad neighbor

November 17, 2012

In my opinion, if you are a sadist who enjoys an abusive relationship, compressors utilized in the Marcellus Shale industry are your ideal neighbors.

The compressors in Sharpnack Hollow in the Greene County community of Jefferson, built by and/or operated by the Williams Company, are the basis for my opinion. The noise produced by the operation and construction of these compressors effectively serves as a legalized form of torture through sleep deprivation.

As a result of the construction of the four new compressors, it has been like living in a rock quarry that is operational 24/7 for several months. The two old compressors operated by Williams frequently and for long periods of time hammered my home with loud jet-engine noise. This ridiculous situation resulted because the compressor doors were left open. When all the compressors are operational, I have been informed that legislation out of Harrisburg permits 90 decibels of noise from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Why don’t you try living under these circumstances?

As if compressor noise isn’t enough, I asked about the gaseous emissions from the operational Davis compressors, particularly benzene and formaldehyde. The Williams representative told me not to use words I didn’t know the meaning of. Since I was a chemistry instructor for 37 years, I was amused at the insult and attempted intimidation.

Why would anyone in their right mind want these representatives of the Marcellus Shale industry and their compressors as neighbors?

The Herald-Star of Steubenville, Ohio, published a summary of a speech given by Greene County commissioner Pam Snyder at a college commencement ceremony. In the speech, Snyder indicated how wonderful the presence of the Marcellus Shale industry was for her and her grandchildren. I am truly happy for those who have been positively impacted at no cost to their neighbors. Snyder certainly isn’t expressing my sentiments after what I have experienced as a result of the Marcellus Shale industry.